"Adam Beneschan" wrote in message
ups.com...
Alex Martelli wrote:
Rob Arndt wrote:
...
Whatever you say anti-semite terror puppet.

I'd just like to point out that, since the Arabs are Semites every bit
as much as the Jews are, anybody who's pro-Arab, whatever else they may
be, cannot *by definition* be an anti-semite.

Sorry, Alex, you're wrong here. The problem here is that you're making
sense, and you assume that language should make sense too. But it
doesn't, necessarily. The dictionary says that "anti-Semite" has
specifically to do with hostility toward Jews, so that's what the
definition is, period---regardless of what it looks like it *ought* to
mean. (My source is www.m-w.com, in case it matters.)

Logically, there should be no need for a dictionary definition of anti -
anything. All we need is the definition of the anything.

Just so I know what's currently PC, it is still incorrect to include
Iranians as Arabs, right?

snipped

Mmbridge

John Crinnion wrote:
Adam Beneschan wrote:

Alex Martelli wrote:
Rob Arndt wrote:
...
Whatever you say anti-semite terror puppet.
I'd just like to point out that, since the Arabs are Semites every bit
as much as the Jews are, anybody who's pro-Arab, whatever else they may
be, cannot *by definition* be an anti-semite.
Sorry, Alex, you're wrong here. The problem here is that you're making
sense, and you assume that language should make sense too. But it
doesn't, necessarily. The dictionary says that "anti-Semite" has
specifically to do with hostility toward Jews, so that's what the
definition is, period---regardless of what it looks like it *ought* to
mean. (My source is www.m-w.com, in case it matters.)

Yes, the word ought to mean what it says. Though it of course does
not. The thing is, it was coined as a kind of coy, school marmish
euphemism - should have been 'anti-jewish', meant it, actually spoke
from shelter of one level of abstraction.

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

--
John W. Kennedy
"The blind rulers of Logres
Nourished the land on a fallacy of rational virtue."
-- Charles Williams. "Taliessin through Logres: Prelude"

........

John W. Kennedy wrote:
John Crinnion wrote:
Adam Beneschan wrote:

Alex Martelli wrote:
Rob Arndt wrote:

SNIP


. The dictionary says that "anti-Semite" has
specifically to do with hostility toward Jews, so that's what the
definition is, period---regardless of what it looks like it *ought* to
mean. (My source is www.m-w.com, in case it matters.)

Yes, the word ought to mean what it says. Though it of course does
not. The thing is, it was coined as a kind of coy, school marmish
euphemism - should have been 'anti-jewish', meant it, actually spoke
from shelter of one level of abstraction.

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

Leaving us with a legacy of the silly-sounding "anti-semitic ". We
could go with '"anti-jewish" nowadays, and I think we should. It is
not as though one were making an empty style-statement as in calling
"Bombay" by a modish alternative.

Mind you, the word "jew" is hardly without its baggage! Part of the
problem seems to be that the word is a monosyllable, and thus difficult
to say (in a context of possible hostility) without sounding abrupt.

But people can be ridiculously over-sensitive, and it is fashionable to
be cowardly about humouring them. There was once a complaint on the
London Underground system (= tube, subway) about careless pronunciation
over the public address system at one particular station of 'due' (as
in 'jew to signal failure'). The idiots agreed to say 'owing to'
instead. This is not only incorrect as a matter of usage, it could be
seen as one more example of the holocaust being regarded as a blank
cheque - albeit not so lethally as in South Lebanon.



--
John W. Kennedy
"The blind rulers of Logres
Nourished the land on a fallacy of rational virtue."
-- Charles Williams. "Taliessin through Logres: Prelude"

"Alotta Fagina" wrote in message
...
You wrote:

Just so I know what's currently PC, it is still incorrect to include
Iranians as Arabs, right?

Why not be concerned with being FACTUALLY correct?

Sorry, I was being ironic and didn't include the *irony* symbol.

Mmbridge

John W. Kennedy :

["anti-Semitism"]

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

You seem to think that the word "anti-Semitism" was coined
by Jews.

Wilhelm Marr (1819-1904) was a German agitator and
theorist, who coined the term "anti-Semitism" as a
euphemism for the German Judenhass, or "Jew-hate".
... Marr founded the League of Anti-Semites
(Antisemiten-Liga), the first German organization
committed specifically to combatting the alleged
threat to Germany posed by the Jews and advocating
their forced removal from the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Marr

-- Moggin

In article ,
"John W. Kennedy" wrote:

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

Apparently the worst insult you can heap on a jew is to call him a jew.
I don't know why; I don't mind being called an american.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
"John W. Kennedy" wrote:

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

Apparently the worst insult you can heap on a jew is to call him a jew.
I don't know why; I don't mind being called an american.

Hence no doubt the ghastly euphemism (predating PC) - "jewish
gentleman". As in "Abe Cohen is a Jewish gentleman." Instead of "Abe
Cohen is a jew."

Nick Hull wrote:
In article ,
"John W. Kennedy" wrote:

It came from a period when even Jews felt the word "Jew" was faintly
distasteful, for reasons that are unknown to me. "Hebrew" was the usual
euphemism; I suppose "anti-Hebraic" sounded silly.

Apparently the worst insult you can heap on a jew is to call him a jew.
I don't know why; I don't mind being called an american.

I mind, though. In your case, that is. Unfortunately, the designation
is probably all too accurate. Isn't there some kind of White
nationalist
or Nazi newsgroup where you could exchange thoughts like these
with your friends?

Please remove the cross posted Newsgroups before responding, you
assistance is certainly appreciated by all.